Mosimane irritated as flu-ridden Sundowns star plays for country

Pitso Mosimane and his bench protest to the referee after a decision went against Mamelodi Sundowns during a draw with log leaders Bidvest Wits.
Image:
Lefty Shivambu

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane was irritated that his striker Toni Silva insisted he was OK to play last weekend in the key Premier League clash against Bidvest Wits but then battled with flu and had to be taken off at half time.

Added to that Silva was then back in action again on Wednesday as he featured for his country‚ Guinea-Bissau‚ in their African Nations Cup qualifier in Zambia‚ which they lost 2-1.

Mosimane trusted the player’s judgement although he warned him he was giving him the benefit of the doubt and had felt let down when Silva lasted only 45 minutes in the 1-1 draw against WIts‚ missing a gilt-edge breakaway chance in the process.

Silva went up against his Sundowns goalkeeping colleague Kennedy Mweene in the clash in Ndola‚ which was Zambia’s first win of the 2019 qualifying campaign‚ and put them back on track to qualify.

Captain Mweene made a horror mistake near the end to gift the opposition a goal and leave Zambia having to hang on grimly in the end to win.

Orlando Pirates striker Justin Shonga got the winner as he formed part of the attack alongside club-mate Augustine Mulenga.

The Polokwane City midfielder Salulani Phiri‚ who had been suspended for his club’s last two games in the PSL‚ came on as a second-half substitute for Zambia.

Maritzburg United’s Brian Onyango also played in the Nations Cup qualifiers on Wednesday as he returned to the Kenyan team for their 0-0 draw in Ethiopia.